H—4o

Annual Charges per Mile of Roads, Streets, etc. —The following table gives the approximate mileage of the three primary groups of roads, together with the corresponding expenditure upon maintenance and interest, &c., per mile of road for the year ended 31st March, 1946 :

Table No. 5 in the Appendix shows comparative figures for the years ended 31stMarch, 1935 to 1939, inclusive, and 1944-46, inclusive. ROAD SAFETY A. ROAD ACCIDENT STATISTICS The Number of Accidents.—There were 188 fatal accidents and 3,382 other accidents which involved injury to persons during the year 1947. As the result of these accidents 206 persons were killed and 4,762 others were injured. In 1946 there were 190 killed and 4,144 injured. Although there were 16 more deaths in 1947 than in 1946, the death-rate per million gallons of petrol consumed in 1947 was 8 per cent, less than the previous year. Comparison of Traffic Death-rates. —The traffic death-rate in New Zealand is compared with that of Great Britain, two of the Australian States, South Africa, Canada, and the United States of America as follows : Deaths per 10,000 Motor-vehicles in 1947 Great Britain .. .. .. .. .. ..16-0 United States of America .. .. .. .. .. 8• 5 New South Wales .. .. .. .. .. 14 • 1 Victoria .. .. .. .. .. .. 13 • 3 South Africa (1946) .. .. .. .. ..19*5 Canada (1946) .. .. .. .. .. .. 10-7 New Zealand .. .. .. .. .. .. 6 • 2 Comparison of Fatal Accidents during the Past Seven Years (see Table No. 6). —Those killed in 1947 included 108 occupants of motor-vehicles, 47 pedestrians, 30 riders of motor-cycles or pillion-riders, and 21 push-cyclists. There has been a marked increase in the number of motor-occupants killed, but there has been no such increase in the number of pedestrians or cyclists killed. The total number of persons killed by motor-vehicles during 1947 was 30 per cent, more than the average number killed during the previous six years, although the exposure to accident (as measured by the motor-vehicle usage) was 65 per cent, more in 1947 than the average of the previous six years.

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Total Mileage. Annual Charges per Mile of Road, &c. Class of Road. Maintenance. Interest and Loan Charges. Total. Main highways Urban roads and streets Other roads Miles. 12,104 4,325 37,364 £ 155 132 42 £ 59 167 24 £ 214 299 66 All roads 53,793 75 44 119